DEAR ABBY: After reading a recent column of yours, I feel compelled to write. One of your letter-writers included "massage parlors" with vices such as lap dancing and strip clubs.
I realize there are some businesses that call themselves massage parlors and are no more than fronts for prostitution. However, therapeutic massage is a growing field that is doing well at getting past certain unsavory stereotypes.
As a massage therapist, I implore you to remind your readers that therapeutic massage is a valid means of enhancing one's personal well-being. Massage can increase circulation, improve muscle tone, relieve pain, and improve a range of motion in stiff joints. Some large companies actually contract on-site massage therapists in an effort to reduce repetitive-motion or static-positioning injuries and also to improve employee morale. -- JOY IN FORT COLLINS, COLO.
DEAR JOY: You're absolutely right, and you'll get no argument from me. I enjoy massages myself from time to time. I consider them to be the ultimate luxury.